04-05-2025
Alessandro Cortini From Nine Inch Nails Creates His Own Clara IEMs With Campfire Audio
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 27: Alessandro Cortin, guitarist for Nine Inch Nails, performs during ... More Boston Calling Music Festival on May 27, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by)
Celebrity endorsements of products are nothing new. Ever since the boom in teenage culture, back in the 1950s, companies selling musical instruments, sporting equipment and fashion have drafted in well-known names to sell their wares. In these modern times, endorsement even extends to the consumer electronics with signature editions of products bearing the names of celebrities on the packaging.
Normally, I would shun anything that's been endorsed by a celebrity because in many cases the famous person has just exchanged an endorsement for a bundle of cash. However, in the case of the new Clara In-Ear Monitors made by the highly respected boutique earphone brand of Campfire Audio, things were different. These high-end IEMs were not just endorsed by but actively developed and tuned with the help of Alessandro Cortini, guitarist and member of U.S. band Nine Inch Nails.
I caught up with Alessandro Cortini at his home on the outskirts of Lisbon, Portugal's capital city, where the synth-loving musician and all-round nice guy lives with his family and a herd of 20 cats. In my book, anyone who loves cats that much must be a good person and worth listening to.
Cortini's Clara IEMs have detachable cables and a whole host of ear tip options.
Cortini has the honor of being the first Italian to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 2020, when he was included as a member of the band Nine Inch Nails. As well as playing instruments, Cortini also makes them. He created a patchable synthesizer called Strega produced by Make Noise.
It was during the crazy times of the global pandemic in 2020, during those long months of lockdowns, that bands like Nine Inch Nails found themselves grounded. The band was founded by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio, back in 1988, and were unable to tour during that time. It was then that Cortini developed a bug and it wasn't Covid 19. Instead, he contacted the audiophile bug and developed a love and fascination with everything audio, especially high-end hi-fi.
Alessandro Cortini was bitten by the audiophile bug during the pandemic.
Cortini takes up the story: 'I'd been using IEMs for performances for some time and developed a connection with Ken Ball and the guys at Campfire Audio, in Portland Oregon. Ken and I share the same kind of passion for music and we even use the same brand of digital player. One day, Ken offered me the chance to design my own IEMs and with his help and experience, I was able to produce something that captured the way I enjoy music.'
'During lockdown, I had the opportunity to learn about dynamic drivers and balanced armatures, the two main types of transducers used in IEMs. Ken knows everything there is to know about how the technologies used in IEMs sound and he was able to guide me towards selecting the units that would bring out the kind of signature sound I was looking for.'
Although Cortini is a member of Nine Inch Nails, his tastes and passions for music range far and wide. Originally from Italy, Cortini lived in the States for many years and it's impossible to avoid soaking up the amazing musical diversity of that country. During our conversation, we chatted about music ranging from Gregorian chant to the best of Blue Tone jazz and classic numbers from the Great American Songbook. I asked Cortini what he was looking to get out of the Clara IEMs.
Ken Ball is founder and lead acoustic engineer at Campfire Audio and helped Alessandro Cortini ... More develop the unique sound of the Clara IEMs.
'I love lots of different music but I wanted to create IEMs that had enough definition at the top end to create a dynamic and focused soundstage, but I didn't want them to be harsh or give the listener a headache. Nice and smooth with a silky treble was what I was looking for' he adds.
'I was also wanted a bass with a certain warmth and definition. I wanted it to feel a bit like putting on a woolly jacket on a chilly day; warm but not so heavy as to be thick and overpowering.'
'With Ken Ball's help, we managed to narrow things down to a dual magnet dynamic driver with a bio-cellulose diaphragm that takes care of those low frequencies. For the mids, we used the latest technology with a dual-diaphragm balanced armature. For the treble or higher end, we chose two dedicated super-tweeters with exceptional precision.'
"For me, making music is an equal measure of creating and listening. What I listen to will sometimes inform my next compositional move. Clara IEMs are not only a sonic manifestation of my preferences in terms of their tuning and spatial portrayal, but Clara IEMs are also a reflection of the deep bond between Ken and me, both musically and philosophically.'
The earpieces of Clara IEMs are unmistakable with their Campfire Audio housings.
'I've been a fan of Campfire Audio for a long time and having the chance to share in the process of making a new pair of IEMs with someone like Ken has made this a fantastic journey. I'm very proud of what the Campfire Audio team and I have managed to produce with Clara. I think it combines emotion with accuracy, letting audiophiles enjoy the precision as well as the music. For musicians, they amplify the creativity through the vibrant and physical emotional transfer the IEMs provide.'
Ken Ball, the founder and lead acoustic engineer at Campfire Audio, agrees with Cortini and adds: "Working with such an accomplished and creative artist like Alessandro has been an honor and a privilege. Our shared passion and personal taste in music, and a love for electronic music specifically, forged a bond that led to the pursuit of Clara.'
'Science, art, and music have been the three pillars of my life, adds Ball. 'Bringing decades of pursuing these pillars to a project alongside Alessandro, who shares these values and brings his unique creative vision and expertise, has been a highlight of my career. I think we have designed something very special that will resonate with fans of Campfire and the audiophile community.'
The frequency response of Alessandro Cortini's Clara IEMs isn't dead flat.
Both men aren't wrong. For anyone who listens to Clara IEMs, there is an instant and unmistakable completeness about their sound that would pair well with almost any musical genre. The IEMs don't have a dead flat response but neither do they display the classic U-shaped EQ or coloration that so many manufacturers seem to settle for today. The Clara IEMs have a warm bass, a forward midrange and a silky treble that's just sharp enough to bring the soundstage into perfect focus without making the listener's brain work overtime top descramble distortion.
The sign of a good pair of speakers, earphones or IEMs is how they help the listener forget they are listening to an audio system by thoroughly immersing the listener in the emotion of the music. That was Cortini's aim for Clara and it's fair to say he and Ken Ball hit the target with 100% accuracy. Despite the use of some well-matched multiple drivers, Clara sounds like it's been tuned to sound more like the very best of dynamic IEMs but with the precision of balanced armature technology. Clara offers the best of both worlds.
Alessandro Cortini is a member of the U.S> band Nine Inch Nails. As well as playing the guitar, he ... More also has an interest in synthesisers and even made his own Strega patchable synth with Make Noise.
Chatting with Cortini is almost as infectious as listening to Clara IEMs. His viral enthusiasm is more contagious than Covid. In the sometimes-sterile world of digital music, we often miss out on the passion and joy of music as we listen for details. Cortini has managed to distil his passion into the sonic signature of these unique IEMs. It's a rare achievement and perhaps only something a musician could have achieved with the technical guidance of someone as experienced as Campfire Audio's Ken Ball.
The Alessandro Cortini Clara IEMs are available now from Campfire Audio and are priced at $1,999. The Clara IEMs ship with two cables, one with a single-ended 3.5mm jack plug and the other with a balanced 4.4mm jack plug. The package also includes Campfire Audio's Pilot portable DAC dongle for use with devices like smartphones that may not have an analog jack. The IEMs also have a hardshell touring case for life on the road and a new mini dimensional folding IEM wallet, Breezy Bag Jr mesh zipper case in charcoal, Breezy Bag Micro two-pocket IEM pouch in charcoal, microfiber cleaning cloth, assorted ear tips In foam, silicone, Final Type-E plus an IEM cleaning tool.
The Clara IEMs ship with two cables, one with a single-ended 3.5mm jack plug and the other with a ... More balanced 4.4mm jack plug. The package also includes Campfire Audio's Pilot portable DAC dongle for use with devices like smartphones that may not have an analog jack. The IEMs also have a hardshell touring case for life on the road and a new mini dimensional folding IEM wallet, Breezy Bag Jr mesh zipper case in charcoal, Breezy Bag Micro two-pocket IEM pouch in charcoal, microfiber cleaning cloth, assorted ear tips In foam, silicone, Final Type-E plus an IEM cleaning tool.
